MAKER MOVEMENT PROJECTS

CNC SIGN PROJECT – DESIGN DILEMMA

Part 2 When I began this CNC Sign Project design I had a dilemma. Ashlee originally requested a  sign with a generic picture of a Holstein cow. She did not have a really good grasp on exactly what she wanted she just wanted a sign. I think that not knowing what you want is probably […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Students Make a CNC Router Table – First time Cutting

I recently posted about how I helped some students make a CNC Router Table for their Mechanical Engineering Technology course.  The Capstone projects assignment was to design and build a CNC Router table for manufacture. The M.E.T. program focuses on Engineering with an eye towards manufacturing. Students  learn the design, engineering and machining skills needed […]

Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATING A LASER CUTTER

I am updating a laser cutter to state of the art. I was given a very old laser cutter from a friend who’s shop was updating to a new machine. The laser cutter is an LMI LaserGraver II which is about 20 years old. The machine still works but like most old  machines it is […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Sieg Minimill X2 Belt drive upgrade kit – An easy-to-install alternative to the noisy, fragile gears on the mini mill.

One of my  many hobbies is metal working using a Sieg X2 Minimill. The Minimill is a great little milling machine but it has one major drawback, plastic drive gears that break at the most inopportune moment. When the plastic gears strip the Minimill is only useful for an anchor till it’s fixed. It usually […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Makerslide Test pieces shown for the first time

  Kickstarter backers of the Makerslide project got their first glimpse of the sample batch of Makerslide extrusion. Makerslide extrusions are a low cost alternative for creating bearing surfaces for CNC machine building. Project founder Barton Dring posted pictures of two 4′ long sections of the material on his kickstarter project page. These are samples […]

Read the rest of this entry »